As technology develops, semiconductor devices are shrinking and being put into smaller packages. Pin utilization becomes ever more important for low pin count devices.
Communication links typically require several signals for communication. For instance, RS232 requires at least two data signals, transmit and receive. I2C also requires two signals, a bi-directional data signal and a clock. SPI requires at least three signals, transmit, receive, and a clock. All these communication interfaces also require a common ground signal, but since that signal does not carry any information, we will ignore it in our discussions.
Communication links also require that both ends transfer data at the same rate. Some communication protocols such as I2C or SPI use a dedicated clock so both ends transfer data at the same rate. For asynchronous protocols like those used in RS232, both ends of the link must know beforehand what the transmission rate is since a dedicated clock is not used. The transmission rate of an asynchronous serial communications link is typically referred to as the baud rate.
Asynchronous protocols typically operate by using a reference clock in conjunction with a baud rate generator. Since the speed of the reference clock is known and the desired baud rate of the communication link is known, the baud rate generators can be programmed to divide the reference clock down to the baud rate.
There have been previous methods used to auto-detect the baud rate of asynchronous communication links. One prior art technique involves sending a synchronizing key stroke such as a space bar, and then measuring the duration of the first bit in the data stream. Using this time interval allows the baud rate to be set. However, the accuracy obtained by measuring just one bit may cause this detection method to fail if the baud rate is close to the speed of the reference clock.
The present invention seeks to address these issues by providing a single pin communication interface with accurate baud rate detection.